Spring-propelled hand-car.



PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

D. N. MODANIEL. SPRING PROPELLED FAND GAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1907.

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PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

D N. MoDANIEL. SPRING PROPELLBD HAND GAR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 6. 1907.

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Wl'd/V/I Eflanzd. -W1TNESSES: INVENTOR WW By W ATTORNEYS DAVID N.McDANIEL, OF MILLWOOD, GEORGIA.

SPRING-PROPELLED HAND-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed May 6. 1907. Serial No. 372.143-

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID N. MoDANIEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Millwood, in the county of 'are and State of Georgia, haveinvented a new and useful Spring-Propelled Hand-Car, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail-way hand cars, of that general classemployed for transporting section hands or workmen from and to theirplace of work or for inspecting different portions of the rail-waytrack.

The object of the invention is to provide a hand car having a motivespring opcratively connecting with the driving wheels whereby greaterspeed is attained than with the handcars now in use and with lessexertion.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for reversing thedirection of travel of the car, and novel means for starting andstopping the propelling mechanism.

A still further object of the invention is to simplify and improve theconstruction of this class of devices so as to add to their utility anddurability as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following descriptionit being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minordetails of construction may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:Figure 1 is a side elevation of a spring propelled hand-car constructedin accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional viewof the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of a car and, Fig. 4 is a top planview of a portion of the car.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawings.

The car is principally designed for transporting section hands orworkmen to and from their place of work and consists of a truck 5provided with front and rear axles 6 and 7 upon which are mounted thetraction wheels 8. Secured to the platform 9 of the car is a pair ofspaced uprights or plates 10in which are journaled a plurality of shaftsin dicated at 11, 12 and 13, respectively.

Secured to one of the plates 10 is a casing or housing 14 for thereception of a coil spring 15 one end of which is attached to the mainoperating shaft 11, while the opposite end thereof is secured to a pin16 extending laterally from a master gear 17 loosely mounted forrotation on the shaft 11 as shown. The spring 15 is placed under tensionto actuate the gear wheel 17 by means of a crank 13 carried by the shaft11 and projecting laterally beyond the adjacent plate 10, said shaftbeing provided with a ratchet wheel 19 adapted to engage a pawl 20 formaintaining the spring under tension after the same has been wound.

The master gear 17 meshes with a pinion 21 mounted for rotation on theshaft 12 and secured to or formed integral with a gear wheel 22. Mountedfor rotation on the shaft 13 is a gear wheel 23 which meshes with thepinion 21 and also with a similar pinion 241 slidably mounted on therear axle 7 as shown. It will thus be seen that motion will betransmitted from the actuating spring through the medium of the pinion21, gear wheel 23, and pinion 24 to the rear shaft 7 and thereby imparta forward movement to the truck or car. The pinion 24 is keyed to theshaft 7 by means of a pin 25 extending through a slot 26 formed in saidshaft and is movable longitudinally of the shaft into en gagement withthe gear wheel 22 to reverse the direction of travel of the car by meansof a hand operated lever 27. The lever 27 is pivotally mounted in abracket 28 secured to one of the plates 10 and the lower end of thelever is pivoted at 29 to a rod 30 extending longitudinally of the shaftand coupled to a sliding collar 31 which engages one side of the pinion24, the free end of the rod 31.

being extended laterally for engagement with the opposite side of saidpinion. It will thus be seen that when the free end of the lever 27 ismoved outwardly against the tension of the spring 32 the pinion 21 willbe moved into operative engagement with the gear wheel 22 and thusreverse the direction of travel of the car and when the lever isreleased the spring will automatically move the pinion into engagementwith the teeth on gear wheel 23 causing a forward movement to beimparted to the car.

As a means for stopping and starting the propelling means there isprovided a suitable brake mechanism consisting of a brake bar 33 one endof which is pivoted at 3 1 to the adjacent plate 10 while its oppositeend is operatively connected with a lever 35 pivotally mounted at 36 tothe opposite plate. The bar 33 is adapted to engage the teeth on themaster gear 17 and is normally held in engagement therewith by means ofa horizontally disposed lever 37 pivotally mount ed on a supportingbracket 38 and pro-i ided at one end with a locking recess 39 adapted toengage the adjacent face of the bar 33. The opposite end of the lever 37is cut away as shown and provided with a vertical aperture for thereception of a threaded'pin 40, there being a coiled spring 41interposed between the upper edge of the adjacent plate 10 and the endof the lever 37 for normally retaining the catch 42 in engagement withthe brake-bar. Piv'otally mounted on the opposite sides of the truck arel vers 43 provided with terminal rollers 44 adapted to engage the rimsof the traction wheels thereby to exert a braking action on said wheelsand assist in stopping the car. The rollers 44 are normally retained outof engagement with the traction wheels by means of coiled springs 45 sothat when the free ends of the lever 43 are released the terminalrollers 44 will clear said traction wheels.

The operation of the device is as follows WVhen it is desired to startthe car the reduced end of the horizontal lever or catch 37 is depressedwhich releases the brake bar 33 thus permitting the latter to be movedinto engagement with the stop pin 46 and the spring to transmit motionthrough the medium of the train of gears to the drivingshaft- To stopthe car the wheel brakes are first applied after which the brake-bar ismoved into engagement with the teeth on the master gear 17 by pressingthe free end of the lever 35.

Attention is called to the fact that by having the upper face of thebrake bar 33 inclined or beveled as indicated at 47 when the latter ismoved to operative position in engagement with the teeth on the gearwheel 17, the head of the catch 42 will ride over said face until thelocking recess 39 is in alinement with the brake bar in which event thecoiled spring 41 will force the catch into engagement with said bar andthus automatically lock the brake in set position. When it is desired toreverse the direction of the travel of the car it is merely necessary toexert an outward pull on the reversing lever 27 when the pinion 24 willengage the teeth 7 on the gear wheel 22 and thereby effect the reversalof the car.

From the foregoing description it is thought that the construction andoperation of the device may be readily understood by those skilled inthe art and further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is 1. In a hand car,a truck, a train of gears operatively connected with the axle of thetruck, a spring for transmitting motion to the gears, a brake baradapted to engage the teeth, means for moving the brake to operative andinoperative position, and a spring catch adapted to engage the brake barfor automatically locking the same in set position.

2. In a hand car, a truck, a train of gears operatively connected withthe axle of the truck, a spring for transmitting motion to the gears, acrank for regulating the tension of the spring, pawl and ratchetmechanism associated with the crank, a brake bar adapted to engage theteeth on one of the gears, means for automatically locking the bar inset position, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of theaxle.

In a hand car, a truck, spaced uprights secured to the truck, a train ofgears disposed between the uprights and operatively connected with axleof the truck, a winding shaft, a coiled spring one end of which isconnected to the winding shaft and the opposite end thereof to one ofthe gear wheels for transmitting motion to the axle of the truck,

a brake adapted to engage the teeth on one of the gears, a catch forlocking the brake in set position, and a crank carried by the windingshaft for regulating the tension of the spring.

4. In a hand car, a truck provided with spaced. uprights, a plurality ofshafts journaled in the uprights, a master gear loosely mounted on oneof the shafts, a pinion journaled on the adjacent shaft and meshing withthe teeth on the master gear, a gear wheel journaled on a third shaftand meshing with a pinion keyed to and slidably' mounted on the axle ofthe truck, a spring, one end of which is connected to the winding shaftand the opposite end thereof secured to the master gear, fortransmitting motion to the axle of the truck, a brake bar pivoted to oneof the uprights and adapted to engage the teeth on the master gear,means for look ing the brake bar in set position, and means for movingthe pinion longitudinally of the shaft to reverse the direction ofrotation of the same.

5. In a hand car, a truck provided with spaced uprights, a plurality ofshafts journaled in the uprights and includnig a winding shaft, a mastergear loosely mounted for rotation on the winding shaft, a gear wheeljournaled on the adjacent shaft and provided with a pinion meshing withthe master gear, a gear wheel carried by a third shaft and meshing withthe pinion, a pinion slidablymounted on the axle of the truck andadapted to engage the last named gear wheel, a housing interposedbetween the uprights, a spring arranged within the housing and havingone end thereof secured to the winding shaft and its opposite endfastened to the master gear, a reversing bar pivotally mounted on theuprights and provided with a yoke adapted to engage and move the pinionlongitudinally of the axle truck for reversing the direction of travelof the latter, a

horizontally disposed brake bar pivoted to I In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as one of the uprights and adapted to engage my own, Ihave hereto affixed my signature the teeth on the master gear, a springactuin the presence of two Witnesses:

ating catch for locking the brake bar in set DAVID N. MCDANIEL.position, and levers pivoted to the sides of WVitnesses: the truck andprovided With terminal rollers J. T. VVAY,

adapted to engage the Wheels of said truck. E. M. HEREIN.

